Incremental and decremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing protocols produce similar maximum oxygen uptake in athletes

• Published in: Scientific reports 2021-06, Vol.11 (1), p.13118-13118, Article 13118
• Main Authors: de Sousa, Nuno Manuel Frade, Bertucci, Danilo Rodrigues, de Sant’Ana, Gabriel Medeiros, Padua, Pedro Luiz Ribeiro Angelucci, da Rosa, Diogo Mello
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/443; 631/443/1338; 631/443/1784; Athletes; Carbon dioxide; Exercise; Fitness equipment; Humanities and Social Sciences; Laboratories; multidisciplinary; Oxygen; Oxygen uptake; Physical fitness; Physiology; Running; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Workloads
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92191-2

The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the maximal oxygen uptake ( V ˙ O 2max ) achieved during incremental and decremental protocols in highly trained athletes. Nineteen moderate trained runners and rowers completed, on separate days, (i) an initial incremental V ˙ O 2max test (INC) on a treadmill, followed by a verification phase (VER); (ii) a familiarization of a decremental test (DEC); (iii) a tailored DEC; (iv) a test with decremental and incremental phases (DEC-INC); (v) and a repeated incremental test (INC F ). During each test V ˙ O 2 , carbon dioxide production, ventilation, heart and breath rates and ratings of perceived exertion were measured. No differences were observed in V ˙ O 2max between INC (61.3 ± 5.2 ml kg −1  min −1 ) and DEC (61.1 ± 5.1 ml kg −1  min −1 ; average difference of ~ 11.58 ml min −1 ; p  = 0.831), between INC and DEC-INC (60.9 ± 5.3 ml kg −1  min −1 ; average difference of ~ 4.8 ml min −1 ; p  = 0.942) or between INC and INC F (60.7 ± 4.4 ml kg −1  min −1 ; p  = 0.394). V ˙ O 2max during VER (59.8 ± 5.1 ml kg −1  min −1 ) was 1.50 ± 2.20 ml kg −1  min −1 lower (~ 2.45%; p  = 0.008) compared with values measured during INC. The typical error in the test-to-test changes for evaluating V ˙ O 2max over the five tests was 2.4 ml kg −1  min −1 (95% CI 1.4–3.4 ml kg −1  min −1 ). Decremental tests do not elicit higher V ˙ O 2max than incremental tests in trained runners and rowers, suggesting that a plateau in V ˙ O 2 during the classic incremental and verification tests represents the maximum ceiling of aerobic power.